Although Graves' Disease may occur only with thyrotoxicosis, it may also present with only ophthalmopathy or with both ophthalmopathy and thyrotoxicosis. No consistent relationship between the thyroid and ophthalmic disorders has been determined. The ophthalmic complications are potentially blinding because of optic nerve compression and potentially disabling because of painful restrictve ophthalmoplegia and proptosis. Though much evidence portrays the eye disease as an immune disturbance, no clinical immunologic assays exist to aid in diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis of Graves' ophthalmopathy. For many years, it has been recognized that the host's response to various antigens in autoimmune diseases is crucial to the establishment of helpful immune responses and to the elimination of harmful immune responses. Therefore, clinical evaluation correlated with cellular and humoral immune parameters of the host's response should provide insight into improving the treatment of Graves' ophthalmopathy in particular and into increasing the understanding of autoimmunity in general.